Vice President Sara Duterte (Facebook)

The Office of the Vice President (OVP) spent its confidential funds worth P125 million in 19 days--not 11 as previously discussed in the budget plenary debates in the House of Representatives.

OVP budget sponsor, Davao de Oro 1st district Rep, Maria Carmen Zamora made this clarification Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 27 after ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro asked during interpellation whether or not the 11-day spending window was true.

In other words, the budget sponsor rejected the idea that the OVP spent around P11.36 million in 11 days, but admitted that it spent P6.57 million in 19 days.

"To say that the Office of the Vice President spent the confidential funds in 11 days, the office submits its stand that it is inaccurate, Mr. Speaker," Zamora told Castro, a member of the Makabayan bloc.

Zamora acknowledged that based on the Commission on Audit's (COA) report, "[the] utilization of the fund starts from Dec. 20 to 31 [2022], and that is 11 days".

"However, Mr Speaker, your honor, the implementation of the programs started on the day that the SARO was released, [on] Dec. 13 of 2022," the Mindanao lawmaker said, referring to the special allotment release order.

"Which means, immediately after the release of SARO, the implementation has already started but the actual payment as based on the COA report and findings only started [on] Dec. 20 up to Dec. 31. Which means the actual implementation is not 11 days, but it is 19 days," explained Zamora, who had within her earshot Vice President Sara Duterte.

"So tama pala yung computation ng Makabayan, 19 days (So Makabayan's computation is correct, 19 days)," Castro said in a dig at the OVP.

It was the Makabayan bloc that first blew the whisle on he matter of the OVP supposedly spending P125 million in just 19 days late last year. This triggered a tit-for-tat between the militant solons and Duterte.

"So it was obligated Dec. 13 and disbursed Dec. 31. So walang pahinga, walang holiday yung paggasta ng confidential funds, tama ba yun? (So there were no rest, no holidays in the spending of confidential funds, is that correct!)" asked Castro.

Zamora replied by saying that the OVP planned out its program way before the release of the money.

"If I may also emphasize, prior to the release of this fund, plans were already laid down by the OVP, which actually became the basis of the request of the OVP for a confidential fund," she said.

OVP is compliant

During the plenary debate on COA's 2024 budget last Sept. 25, budget sponsor Marikina City 2nd district Rep. Stella Quimbo said that the OVP spent the P125 million in just 11 days, and not 19 days as previously thought.

Also on Wednesday, Zamora confirmed to Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas--another interpellator from the Makabayan bloc--that the P125 million was released to the OVP in cold cash.

"The OVP is compliant in the use of confidential fund, which is under the Joint Circular (JC) 2015-01," the budget sponsor said.

The JC states that the confidential funds may be spent on payment to informers, rental of vehicles, rental of safe houses, and supplies.

When Brosas asked how many informants the OVP had paid, Zamora answered, "We cannot comment on that Mr. Speaker."

"That is why kailangan po natin talaga malaman kung ano ang pinagdalhan sa P125 million confidential funds. In the first place, we are questioning yung entitlement of the OVP dito," Brosas said.

(That is why we really need to know where this P125 million confidential funds were taken. In the first place, we are questioning the OVP's entitlement here.)